Customer-supplied yarn for bulk knitwear: agree the handover before production

1. Define the supply arrangement before buying the yarn

A brand may want to use yarn from its existing mill for a 6,000-piece sweater collection. First decide whether the brand only nominates the supplier, asks the factory to buy a specified yarn, or supplies its own stock. Those arrangements create different purchasing and handover tasks. Ask the factory to assess the proposal before committing yarn or booking delivery. Customer-supplied material is an order-specific option to discuss with WTBF, not automatic acceptance of any yarn.

• Identify the yarn purchaser, invoice recipient and agreed owner at each handover.
• Confirm who orders replacement yarn and communicates with the mill if a delivery is unsuitable.
• Separate material price from the factory’s agreed development, preparation and manufacturing scope.

2. Send a yarn identity pack and arrange a representative trial

Provide the mill and yarn article reference, declared composition, count system and ply description, colour reference, dye lot, cone or package format and the available technical information. Do not send only a fibre percentage or a photo. Ask what quantity is needed to trial the intended knit structure, number of ends and finishing route. STOLL’s 2013 training guide treats yarn-to-gauge tables as guidance and notes that yarn quality and specific weight also matter. Use this background to request material-specific review alongside reference tables.

• Use a trial quantity representative of the proposed bulk stock and record its lot identity.
• Agree which finished swatch or garment checks decide suitability, who reviews the result and who pays for the trial.
• Retain a labelled approved reference; a different yarn article, lot or preparation may need further review.

Technical background: STOLL training guide, section 12.7, yarn table (PDF)↗

3. Write a responsibility matrix for the physical handover

Specify the receiving address, delivery contact, arrival window and packing information before dispatch. For overseas yarn, agree the transport and import arrangements with the responsible parties before shipping; do not assume the manufacturing price covers these services. Record decisions in the purchase order or material agreement, including how a problem is escalated. This is a practical allocation checklist; the final commercial terms need the parties’ agreement.

4. Separate received, held and released yarn

At arrival, reconcile the delivery note with carton or bag count, cone count, yarn article, colour and dye lot. Agree how yarn mass is measured and reported, including cone and packing tare and the measurement basis, so gross shipment weight is not mistaken for usable yarn. Record damage, missing identification or quantity differences. Physically identify held stock and keep it unavailable for production until a named person approves the resolution.

• Record quantity and status by yarn article, colour and lot; retain links to the delivery reference.
• Set an agreed reporting window and evidence for discrepancies, rather than assuming an unlimited claim period.
• Use separate receipt and release decisions. Stock arrival does not confirm suitability, specification compliance or ownership transfer.

5. Check usable stock against the whole production requirement

Build the yarn requirement from the approved style, colour and size quantities and the agreed consumption basis. Identify whether the figure covers yarn retained in garments only or already includes trial, setup and production allowances; add agreed items once. The following hypothetical example uses 6,000 garments at an illustrative net 0.40 kg each plus a separately agreed 100 kg for trials and production use beyond the net garment requirement. Neither value is a WTBF consumption record or a recommended allowance.

• The 20 kg gap must be resolved before relying on the full plan; held yarn may be released only after an approved resolution.
• Repeat the balance for every colour and permitted lot allocation. A total surplus cannot cover a shortage in another colour.
• Reserve released stock for this order and record issues to each production batch; do not count stock already allocated elsewhere.

6. Release production with the approved yarn and a workable schedule

Before bulk knitting, connect the released yarn lot to the approved finished sample, current technical specification, consumption plan and batch allocation. Agree who signs off the trial and who authorizes the production start. If trial performance, usable quantity or replenishment timing changes, ask for a revised cost and production schedule before continuing. Yarn arriving on time does not by itself reserve every production stage.

• Set a clear stop point for failed trials, unapproved substitution or a material shortage.
• Document which order quantities can proceed and which must wait; avoid silently reducing a style or size.
• Confirm dispatch milestones separately from transport and arrival. Large orders require available-capacity scheduling; eligible quick-turn projects are conditional, not a blanket promise for supplied yarn.

7. Reconcile usage and decide what happens to leftover stock

Use two linked records at agreed intervals and at order close. In the warehouse record, opening approved stock plus released receipts and returns to stock, minus yarn issued, should equal the unused balance. In the production record, issued yarn should reconcile with returns to stock, yarn retained in garments, trial or waste use and material still in process. Agree the reporting categories and units so issued yarn is not counted again as a separate consumption item. Investigate unexplained differences using agreed records rather than treating every variance as a standard loss. Agree the commercial handling separately; this guide does not assign liability.

• Identify leftover article, colour, lot, usable mass and condition; distinguish unopened cones from remnants.
• Confirm whether stock is returned, stored for a specified period or disposed of with written authorization, and who pays handling or transport.
• Do not presume leftover yarn can support a reorder: reconfirm usable quantity, condition, shade approval and scheduling when the reorder is defined.

8. Request a quotation with the material handover included

Send WTBF the sweater reference or tech pack, quantity by style and colour, size range, delivery destination and required arrival date. Add the proposed yarn article and mill, technical information, stock location, quantity by colour and lot, and whether you want factory purchasing or customer supply. Mark unconfirmed points explicitly. Ask for a feasibility review, representative trial plan, responsibility split, separate manufacturing and handling scope, and approval-dependent milestones before committing the bulk order.

• State the intended purchaser and supply arrangement, not only “use our yarn.”
• List open decisions: trial acceptance, additional yarn provision, transport, shortfalls and leftovers.
• Use the project quotation form to start the discussion and email reference files using the contact details provided. Final acceptance, price and dates are confirmed for the actual project.